—Luther WorthingtonI'm glad that fool is gone! He could have spoiled everything... for years I've tried to discourage any experimentation in thinking robots, for after all... If there is anything I don't want, it's competition from another robot!
Appearing in "The Creatures Who Captured Earth!"
Featured Characters:
- Professor John Warren (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Unidentified Aliens
- Numerous unnamed aliens
Other Characters:
- United States Army
- Numerous unnamed soldiers
- Unidentified Police Department
- Unnamed Police Officer
- World Science Council (First appearance)
- Numerous unnamed members
- United States Air Force
- Numerous unnamed pilots
Races and Species:
Realities:
Locations:
- Earth
- Cygnus Major (Mentioned)
Synopsis for "The Creatures Who Captured Earth!"
Aliens arrive on Earth bearing gifts to make people's lives soft and easy in order to make them ripe for conquest.
Appearing in "The Party"
Featured Characters:
- Elmer Braggle (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Unnamed Waiter
Antagonists:
- Unnamed Butler (Ventriloquist)
- Mrs. Trelawney (Dog)
- Mr. Trelawney (Dog)
Other Characters:
- Mrs. Hodges (Mentioned) (Deceased)
Races and Species:
Realities:
Locations:
- Earth
- United States of America
- Unidentified Town
- United States of America
Synopsis for "The Party"
Appearing in "The Clock Strikes Never!"
Featured Characters:
- Frank Hanes (First appearance) (Main story and flashback)
Supporting Characters:
- World Electronics Inc. (First appearance)
- Mr. Evans (First appearance)
- Unnamed Employee
Antagonists:
- Unidentified Police Department
- Numerous unnamed police officers
Other Characters:
- World Electronics Inc. (Mentioned)
- Fate
- Universal Rocket Development Corp. (Mentioned in narration or thoughts)
Races and Species:
Realities:
- Earth-59619 (First appearance)
- Earth-616 (Only in flashback)
Locations:
- Earth-59619 (First appearance)
- Earth-616 (Only in flashback)
- Earth (Only in flashback)
- United States of America (Only in flashback)
- Earth (Only in flashback)
Items:
- Frank Hanes' Time Machine (First appearance)
Synopsis for "The Clock Strikes Never!"
Frank Hanes, an inventor working for World Electronics Inc. steals a time machine he invented for the company and tries to escapes to the future. The police of that future are there waiting for him when he arrives so he decides to flee into the past using the machine. While traveling into the past the machine begins to break down and Frank becomes young again. When he awakes he has no memory of what transpired but does have the opportunity to make a different choice for his life.
Appearing in "To Build A Robot!"
Featured Characters:
- Luther Worthington (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Dexter Scott (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Titanic Motors Inc. (First appearance)
- Luther Worthington's Secretary (First appearance)
- Numerous unnamed employees
Races and Species:
Realities:
Locations:
Synopsis for "To Build A Robot!"
A young engineer attempts to acquire funding from a wealthy industrialist in order to build an android. The industrialist is revealed to be such a creature who dissuades the young man in order to discourage competition from other androids.
Appearing in "The Man Who Talks to the Stars!"
Featured Characters:
- Hank Johnson (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- "XR79B" (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Freddy (First appearance)
- Daily World (First appearance)
- Unnamed Editor
Races and Species:
- Humans
- Squirrels
- Birds
- Unidentified alien species
- Ursa Volanians (First appearance)
- Iota Orionisians (First appearance)
- Beta Centaurians (First appearance)
Realities:
Locations:
- Milky Way
- Ursa Volans (First appearance)
- Regulas (First appearance)
- Iota Orionis (First appearance)
- Beta Centauri System (First appearance)
- New Draconia (First appearance)
Synopsis for "The Man Who Talks to the Stars!"
A reporter interviews a man in the park who claims to be able to speak with star-faring civilizations. The reporter thinks he's a crank, but the man becomes puzzled, checks his Handy Cosmic Tourist Guide, realizes he's made a mistake by stopping off at a primitive off-limits planet and so departs. I wonder if Douglas Adams read this story as a kid?
Appearing in "Xom! The Menace From Outer Space!"
Featured Characters:
- Philip Lindsay (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Xom (First appearance)
- Frank (First appearance)
- Miles (First appearance)
- Ben (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Space Pirates
- Numerous unnamed pirates
Races and Species:
Realities:
- Earth-81596 (First appearance)
Locations:
- Pollux 134 (First appearance)
- Earth (Mentioned)
Synopsis for "Xom! The Menace From Outer Space!"
Earthmen land on a planet to be greeted by aliens who claim they are threatened by a creature named Xom enclosed behind a large wall. Eventually the aliens are revealed to be space pirates who wished Xom destroyed in order to sell the ivory in his teeth, and Xom in reality is quite harmless.
Notes
Publication Notes[]
- "To Build A Robot!" is reprinted in Tomb of Darkness #11.